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South Side Elementary School

Q: Is South Side Elementary School a good school?

South Side Elementary School ranks 212 th of 491 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

212^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 491 Arkansas Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of Arkansas elementary schools

Summary

South Side Elementary School in Bee Branch, AR, is a small, rural PK-6 school within the SOUTH SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Van Buren), serving 269 students and showing a strong, positive trajectory after a decade of steady improvement.

This school stands out for its exceptional mathematics performance, with 51.1% of students proficient—well above the state average of 44.1%—and a particularly impressive 61.8% proficiency rate in 6th grade. What makes this even more remarkable is that the school has achieved these gains while experiencing a dramatic shift in its student population: the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced lunch skyrocketed from 26.55% to 98.88% in just two years. Despite this challenge, test scores have not only held steady but improved, with overall math proficiency rising from 40.4% to 51.1% over the same period. This resilience is especially notable when compared to nearby Greenbrier Springhill Elementary School, which serves a more affluent population and spends significantly less per student ($10,000 vs. South Side's $17,270) yet achieves elite results. South Side is not underperforming; it is operating in a fundamentally different context, and its investment in students appears to be paying off.

While the school excels in math, there is a notable dip in 5th-grade English Language Arts and Reading, where proficiency falls below the state average—a specific area for potential focus. However, the school's high per-student spending ($17,270) is used effectively, as seen when compared to similarly high-spending Guy-Perkins Elementary School, which has a 91.9% free/reduced lunch rate but scores well below state averages in every subject. South Side Elementary is a solid, improving school that is adapting well to change, making it a commendable choice for families in the area.

269

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,270

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

334 Southside Road
Bee Branch, AR 72013

(501) 654-2200

District: SOUTH SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Van Buren)

Students who attend South Side Elementary School usually attend:

High:

South Side High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.0%

Two or more races:

5.2%

African American:

2.6%

See top rated Arkansas elementary schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 38th percentile in 2016 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Arkansas median (57th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg43%

Arkansas avg42%

212^th of 491

Arkansas public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 19 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

97^th of 251SOUTH SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Van Buren) among Arkansas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arkansas percentile	Rating
2026	57.4	212 of 491	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.0	188 of 495	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.4	221 of 497	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	232 of 492	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.2	268 of 487	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.2	240 of 496	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.1	257 of 488	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.6	285 of 480	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	32.4	357 of 485	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	44.4	305 of 494	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.6	312 of 466	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	49.0	283 of 471	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	26.9	394 of 476	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	38.8	355 of 468	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	36.4	353 of 471	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	42.5	318 of 457	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	62.7	191 of 445	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	51.5	255 of 439	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.7	244 of 440	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.5	243 of 402	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	50.9	236 of 411	42.6%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics51%+7 vs state

Science46%~ state avg

Reading41%~ state avg

English Language Arts40%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near South Side Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2026)					ATLAS Reading (2026)					ATLAS Mathematics (2026)					ATLAS Science (2026)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ATLAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts All Grades	ATLAS Reading 3rd Grade	ATLAS Reading 4th Grade	ATLAS Reading 5th Grade	ATLAS Reading 6th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 4th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 5th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 6th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Science 3rd Grade	ATLAS Science 4th Grade	ATLAS Science 5th Grade	ATLAS Science 6th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	334 Southside Road	Bee Branch	72013	Van Buren County	SOUTH SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Van Buren)	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 654-2200	269	20	13.7	98.9%	242 (90.0%)	7 (2.6%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.2%)	57.4	212^th of 491 public elementary schools	56.8%		61	188^th of 495 public elementary schools	62.0%	24	40.0	43.4	32.5	47.0	40.1	37.1	39.1	35.0	52.9	40.9	47.0	47.8	47.5	61.8	51.1	47.0	52.2	40.0	47.0	45.8	$17,270	$2,287	$14,983
Guy-Perkins Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	492 Highway 25 North	Guy	72061	Faulkner County	Guy Perkins School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 679-3509	247	18	14.1	91.9%	209 (84.6%)	12 (4.9%)	11 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.1%)	43.1	293^rd of 491 public elementary schools	40.3%		38.9	319^th of 495 public elementary schools	35.6%	26	26.9	45.8	53.0	40.7	40.4	30.7	45.8	52.9	51.8	44.7	15.4	29.2	35.3	40.7	29.8	19.2	50.0	29.4	29.6	31.9	$17,106	$1,859	$15,247
Quitman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6275 Heber Springs West	Quitman	72131	Cleburne County	Quitman School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 589-2807	432	28	15.5	52.5%	391 (90.5%)	9 (2.1%)	24 (5.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	78	91^st of 491 public elementary schools	81.5%		70.6	136^th of 495 public elementary schools	72.5%	45	51.8	61.8	55.3		56.6	58.9	54.4	55.4		56.1	33.3	48.6	53.1		45.6	64.9	60.3	56.1		60.2	$12,252	$1,841	$10,411
Nemo Vista Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5690 Hwy 9	Center Ridge	72027	Conway County	Nemo Vista School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 893-2435	274	18	14.8	50.7%	249 (90.9%)	6 (2.2%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.1%)	91.9	22^nd of 491 public elementary schools	95.5%		92.6	29^th of 495 public elementary schools	94.1%	7	74.4	76.0	60.4		69.3	76.7	68.0	65.1		70.2	86.0	88.0	67.4		79.2	76.7	68.0	39.6		60.3	$14,047	$1,621	$12,426
Clinton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	852 Yellowjacket Lane	Clinton	72031	Van Buren County	Clinton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 745-6071	553	38	14.5	100.0%	489 (88.4%)	2 (0.4%)	49 (8.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	68.5	150^th of 491 public elementary schools	69.5%		71.4	130^th of 495 public elementary schools	73.7%	20	58.6	35.1	46.5		46.9	59.8	40.3	51.2		50.6	51.2	53.9	50.0		51.6	64.6	42.1	44.1		50.4	$14,491	$2,973	$11,518
Greenbrier Westside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	65 Garrett Road	Greenbrier	72058	Faulkner County	Greenbrier School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 679-1029	552	30	18.6	41.3%	506 (91.7%)	6 (1.1%)	25 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.8%)	89.9	31^st of 491 public elementary schools	93.7%		93.6	21^st of 495 public elementary schools	95.8%	10	69.3	56.9	58.5		61.5	69.3	55.7	58.5		61.1	55.2	70.8	53.7		59.8	82.1	75.9	68.2		75.3	$10,501	$1,202	$9,299
Greenbrier Eastside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	61 Glenn Lane	Greenbrier	72058	Faulkner County	Greenbrier School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 679-2111	481	28	16.9	55.5%	428 (89.0%)	7 (1.5%)	17 (3.5%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.8%)	87.4	38^th of 491 public elementary schools	92.3%		92.8	26^th of 495 public elementary schools	94.7%	12	56.0	53.6	63.1		57.6	47.0	52.4	61.8		54.0	69.7	61.0	63.1		64.3	71.2	70.7	77.7		73.3	$10,901	$1,056	$9,845
Greenbrier Wooster Elementary	Public	K-5	9 Church Circle	Greenbrier	72058	Faulkner County	Greenbrier School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 679-3334	408	25	16.5	42.9%	380 (93.1%)	6 (1.5%)	12 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	90.3	30^th of 491 public elementary schools	93.9%		89.8	39^th of 495 public elementary schools	92.1%	9	62.6	66.7	55.9		61.6	61.3	58.7	55.9		58.7	60.0	79.3	53.0		63.6	73.3	76.1	73.5		74.3	$10,360	$1,021	$9,339
West Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7295 Greers Ferry Road	Greers Ferry	72067	Cleburne County	WEST SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Cleburne)	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 825-7744	284	21	13.6	100.0%	274 (96.5%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	84.2	56^th of 491 public elementary schools	88.6%		74.6	111^th of 495 public elementary schools	77.6%	55	65.7	63.3	48.2	64.5	60.6	68.7	66.6	41.3	64.5	60.7	72.8	50.0	65.5	54.9	60.9	72.8	46.7	55.1	54.8	57.8	$16,715	$3,231	$13,484
Shirley Elementary School	Public	K-6	1302 Hwy 9 East	Shirley	72153	Van Buren County	Shirley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 518-2223	169	16	10.6	85.2%	163 (96.4%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35.5	340^th of 491 public elementary schools	30.8%		33.4	351^st of 495 public elementary schools	29.1%	11		17.9	32.0	50.0	35.3		17.9	24.0	58.4	35.3		17.9	28.0	50.0	31.8		17.9	32.0	54.2	34.1	$16,064	$3,539	$12,525

Frequently Asked Questions about South Side Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of South Side Elementary School?

Students at South Side Elementary School are 90% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Hispanic.

How many students attend South Side Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 269 students attended South Side Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of South Side Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Side Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : South Side High School

Is South Side Elementary School a good school?

South Side Elementary School ranks 212^th of 491 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is South Side Elementary School in?

SOUTH SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Van Buren)

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Latest Arkansas data All new data »

2025–26 ATLAS test scoresJul 13, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2019–20 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

2017–18 through 2024–25 dropout ratesJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.